Sunday Snippets- Jesus is Jonah

Hope you all had an amazing weekend!  This week at church we were in Jonah chapter 2.  At the very end of chapter 1 Jonah get swallowed by the big fish.  He spends 3 days in there before he asks God for help!  That seemed like a long time to me.  But thinking about it, I know I do the same thing in situations.  I'll give up hope or think I can fix it on my own sometimes or even be mad at God for the crappy situation I'm in and focus on other things instead of turning to Him.

Anyway, we mainly focused on Jonah's prayer to God during the sermon.  Here are some of the highlights from my notes:

- True repentance is like waking up from a dream. Your pride has been stripped away.  You see everything more clearly.

- If God strips away one of your idols and gives you a glimpse of how futile life is without Him before you die, that is His mercy!

- An idol is something you love, crave, or trust more than God.  (romance, money, career, kids, anything!)

- Jonah felt abandoned by God.  Was he? NO!

- God is after obedience that grows from desire.

- Jesus + Nothing= Everything...on the flip side...Everything - Jesus= Nothing

- Irreligious people don't think they need salvation from anything.

- Religious people know they need salvation but that it comes from themselves (something they are/do)

- True Christians know we need salvation and that it comes from God not from ourselves

- The Gospel is the only thing that gives you both humility and confidence at the same time.

- Jesus is Jonah because he went through what Jonah went through (in a way but way worse) for us.  He endured God's wake up call for us.

I will admit I shed a tear or two during this sermon at one point.

Back story- On Friday I had a little mental breakdown about yet again being the 3rd (or 13th or 21st) wheel on all the trips with my friends this year.  There are NO other single girls going on the two trips we've planned so I'm freaking out about who will I share a room with?  who will I ride with?  who will I split food with?  who will I ski with?  I honestly don't mind being single that much, but when it comes to trips and New Year's Eve (because of all the kissing.  I swear it's worse than Valentine's day.) it drives me to tears.  Well Friday I shed a lot of tears over it.

So at one point in the sermon, the pastor is trying to describe the relationship between God and His people.  There was some word that when translated meant something like "from the womb" and he apologized and said people without kids might not get it, but the thing it is most close to is the way a mother or father loves their child.  He said when he hears his kids crying...then he paused and said "well 9 times out of 10 they are crying over something that has nothing to do with reality...but those times they are really hurting or in pain, I would do ANYTHING...ANYTHING to make it go away.  And that is how God feels about you."

So automatically I am thinking about my breakdown on Friday and why won't God just let me find my husband so I won't have to cry about this crap anymore.  Why can't He just take away this pain??

But the more that I've thought about it over the weekend I'm starting to think that maybe this cry on Friday falls into one of those 9 times out of 10 cries that has nothing to do with reality.  I am hurting emotionally but over things that may not even matter and will probably work themselves out.  It had nothing to do with reality.  Only what I was worried about in my head. Yes, if I had a husband I would have a built-in partner for everything and would never have to worry about those things again.  But maybe I really shouldn't be worried about them in the first place.

Pinterest Inspired Wednesday- Blessing Bags

Last year I read the book Same Kind of Different as Me. It totally changed my view on homelessness.

A few months ago, I saw this pin on Pinterest:

Source: kwavs.blogspot.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

They called them "Blessing bags" to give to homeless people instead of feeling guilty and just avoiding eye contact or giving them money which is apparently the last thing you should do.

I see homeless people a lot more here in the Triangle than I have any other place I have lived.  In downtown Raleigh I have had a man follow me until I gave him some money.  I don't really like giving money because I am afraid they are either conning me and not really homeless or they will use the money on drugs or alcohol.  So I decided to make these "Blessing Bags".  Here is how mine turned out:

I included shampoo, body wash, wash cloths, lotion, a comb, tissues, deodorant, gloves, crackers, candy, toothbrush, toothpaste, chapstick, advil, antibacterial wipes, band aids, a dollar in change and an encouragement card and a list of area resources for the homeless with addresses and phone numbers.

I ended up making four total and last week I gave the first one to an older man with a cane on a popular mall exit in Durham.  I said "I hope you can use this stuff...I just tried to think of things you might need."  He seemed a little weirded out at first by the bag, but then said "Oh yes mam. Thank you."

After making the bags, researching homeless resources in the area (there are a ton!) and thinking about it some more, I think after I pass out all these bags I might just do encouragement cards with a list of homeless resources and maybe a McDonald's gift card.  I mean there are a ton of places in the area where they could get these things and more.  Maybe they just don't know about them or don't want to try to get help there (because I'm sure they had drug and alcohol policies)?

One of the best local organizations I found was the Durham Rescue Mission.  They had a great page that gave tips on how to help the homeless:

1. Never give cash to a homeless person

Well intended gifts are often used to purchase drugs or alcohol.  If a person is hungry, buy them a sandwich or beverage.

2. Talk with the homeless person with respect

Take time to speak in a friendly, respectful manner.

3. Realize the homeless and their problems are not all the same

Remember those who are homeless may be homeless for many reasons, such as addictions, domestic abuse, poverty, lack of job skills...the list goes on.

4. Share God's love whenever you can

The Lord would have us to share His love and salvation with everyone we come in contact with each day.  Those who are homeless often feel isolated and lonely.  They need to hear that their shattered lives can be mended through and in Christ.

5. Pray for the homeless and [organization's that help the homeless]

God can use your prayers to bring many who are broken in heart and spirit to Himself.  As you pray for those who are homeless pray for [local organizations that help the homeless].  [Their] staff is on the frontlines each day reaching out to share the love of God with men, women, and children in need.

6. Take precautions for your own safety

Always be aware of your surroundings when reaching out to the homeless.  Stay in areas where other people can see you.  Don't take unnecessary chances.  Some men and women living on the streets are criminals and/or fugitives from the law.  Use good judgment.

7. Encourage the homeless to get help

The homeless [can] find a hot meal, safe-shelter, clean clothing, vocational training, biblical counsel, job placement, as well as free dental, eye, and health care [through organizations that help the homeless].  Most importantly, they will find a loving, caring staff ready and willing to help them back to a productive life.

8. Support [local organizations that help the homeless]

Thoughts??  How do you interact with the homeless?

You know I love a challenge!

One of the blogs I have been reading for-evah (seriously since I started blogging back in '08) Heidi over at Life in Pink blogged today about this 10 lb. challenge she signed up for.  Well, sign me up too!  I had an awesome week with my bodybugg last week and always need more motivation to stay on track!  The goal is to lose 10 lbs. in 12 weeks.  And you can win prizes- Yippee!

If you want to sign up too, just go over HERE! 

Bring it!

Sunday Snippets- I am Jonah

We started a new sermon series at church this week on the book of Jonah.  It's another one of those stories you kind of sort of know from Sunday School maybe.  Or Pinocchio.  Or is that just me?

Anyway the sermon this week was FANTASTIC.  They don't have it posted yet, but when they do post it, you can find it here and I highly recommend it.

I took two pages of notes, but here are just a few snippets:

• Rebellion is simply saying NO to God. What area of your life are you saying NO to God in?

• There will always be a ship to Tarshish.  Or in other words, if you are ever even thinking about disobeying or saying no to God, the devil will always make it easy for you because that is exactly what he wants.  

• What if your enemy is laying a trap for you?

• That "peace in your heart" you had over a situation you know is wrong, but you are doing it anyway could be Satan numbing your conscience.

• It starts with small acts of disobedience and goes down to total devastation (this is so true!)

• God sends storms to break His people from self-reliance.

• Jonah is willing to obey God UNTIL it costs him the things he loves and/or fears most.

• Real obedience is when you would give up EVERYTHING to maintain your relationship with HIM.

• He even referenced Daniel when Shadrac, Mishac, and Obedigo (I probably massacred their names) went in to the fiery furnace.  His question to us was- Would you rather be in the flames with God or out of the flames without God????

• The storm is not God's retribution, it's God's restoration.  In other words He didn't send the storm to pay him back, he sent the storm to bring him back.

I am telling you.  You should go listen to is if you get a chance this week.  Just look for the one about Jonah.  It should pop up tomorrow sometime.

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend and were able to spend time with the Lord.  Between this awesome sermon and the Daniel study and a few little things going on, I felt God talking to me all over the place.

If you are looking for a church in the Triangle area, I highly recommend coming to visit during this series.  If last night was any indication of what God is about the teach me...it is going to be awesome.

And if you want to follow along even more, there are lots of study guide resources HERE.

Pinterest Inspired Wednesdays- PB&J cookies & Closet clean out

A guy at my work brought in some cookies his wife had made that had a dollop of jelly in the middle right before Christmas.  They were so good!  I forgot to ask him what kind of cookies they were so I searched on Pinterest for something that looked similar.

These looked similar and sounded easy enough to make, so I made a batch the week after Christmas right before I started my strict "no cheat" diet. They were no were near as good as the ones that guy brought in, but they were pretty tasty.


Here is what they look like on Pinterest:

Source: rachaelraymag.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

They were super easy to make!

Ingredients:
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 large egg
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon strawberry jelly
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1½ tablespoons whole milk

First you stir together the flour and baking powder in a small dish.

Then you blend together 3/4 cup of the peanut butter and wait...oh my.  I just read the ingredients again.  See where it says 1/4 cup butter.  Umm yeah...I put a whole stick in there because I freaked out that the butter was supposed to be softened and put it in the microwave to hurry it along.  It ended up melting a little and made a mess, so I threw the whole thing in there!  Oh my.  That is double the butter! HA!  No wonder I had a little trouble.

Anyway, Blend together the peanut butter and butter on medium speed and then add the sugar and brown sugar to the mix. I used Splenda (but I'm sure that didn't make a difference thanks to the whole stick of butter I used!  Beat until smooth.  About 5 minutes.

Finally stir in the flour/baking powder mixture until just combined.

Then use a tablespoon to drop the dough onto a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  Then use your thumb to make a little indent in each cookie and put about 1/2 teaspoon of jelly into it.

Bake for 12 minutes.

While they are baking you are supposed to mix the rest of the peanut butter and the confectioner's sugar into a frosting.  I was too lazy to do that part.

Here is what mine looked like:

These were the good ones.  Half of mine had burnt bottoms (I think one of my cookie sheets sucks compared to the other one) and the other half were falling apart as I transferred them to the cooling racks.  The good ones weren't half bad though.  It must have been all that butter!

The original recipe can be found here.

I also decided to do this:

Source: rayandjen.com via ncsuz on Pinterest

The pin says "On Jan. 1st, turn all your hangers backwards. As you wear clothes, turn the hanger around. Anything that is still backwards on June 1, donate.---definitely need to do this"


Here is my closet right now:

What have you made or done that was Pinterest inspired lately?

New Year's Goals

Here are my goals for 2012:

1. Finish my 30 Before 30 list before my birthday in August. (2 years late but hey at least I will finish)  In order to complete it here's what is left:

• Get in the best shape of my life (working on it)
• kayak
• catch a fish
• kiss in the rain
• read the Bible all the way through (almost finished with the OT)

(I've already completed upgrade one room in my house. I need to write a post about it)

2. Run a half marathon (hopefully in April)

3. Pay off my car early.  (I am supposed to be done with payments April 2013, but I would like to pay it off early if possible!)

I also liked the idea from last year of something to start, something to stop, and something to keep.

I would like to start eating healthy on a more consistent basis.  No more cheat days that turn into cheat weeks that turn into taking the whole month off.

I would like to stop complaining so much.  I am sick of complaining.  Complaining is so unattractive.

I would like to keep running.  I took almost 3 weeks off during December from my 10K training plan and I was so afraid I was going to have to start all over.  But my body stayed in shape better than I thought it would.  I started off doing 2 miles walking/running at the lake last week.  Then I picked it back up yesterday and ran 5 miles and walked 1 for a total of 6 miles!  It wasn't super easy, but I did it.  And according to my bodybugg I burned over 3,000 calories yesterday!  I must keep running in my life to get those kind of numbers!

What are your goals for 2012?

Sunday Snippets- Less worry and more peace

I made it to church this morning.  And so did a lot of other people...it was super crowded.  Maybe it is some people's New Year's resolution to go to church more and they drug their hungover selves to church because who wants to break their resolution on day 1!?

Anyway, this morning's sermon was on Daniel.  Which is ironically what we are studying in my Bible study right now.  Today they focused on the most famous section in Daniel- Daniel and the lion's den.

(Side note- I may have heard Daniel and the lion's den story when I was little, but I certainly didn't remember it!  When we picked this study on Daniel I was like "Who's Daniel"?)

If you don't know the story either, basically Daniel is favored by the king and all the other king's men get kind of jealous of him.  They know that he has a strong faith in God so they convince the king to pass a temporary law that everyone must stop worshiping their God and must worship the king.  And if they don't they will be thrown into the lion's den where they will certainly be killed by the lions.

The king is like "Heck yeah, I'm the king, so they should worship me." (Which the preacher pointed out is like most of us.  Think about it, if you worked your way up to president of your company wouldn't you want that kind of praise and respect?)  So he signs it into law.

Well, of course Daniel refuses to stop worshiping God and so the king is forced to throw him in the lion's den.  In the morning he rushes down and cries "Daniel was your God able to save you?" and sure enough Daniel didn't have a scratch on him.

The thing that stood out for me in this sermon was "Daniel had peace about the situation because he had faith." 

I have never even come close to being torn to shreds by lions, and I don't have that kind of peace.  Heck I think I even make up things in my head that aren't even real to be worried about.  But Daniel knew no matter what God was in control and he rested in that.  I want to do more of that this year.  I want to replace fear with peace. 

Do you know how many times it says in the Bible to not worry?  to not be afraid?  In a sermon a few months ago our pastor's wife pointed out that every time you worry you are sinning because the Bible tells you not to (multiple times).  I had never thought of it like that.  Now every time I catch myself worrying I remind myself of that and remind myself that God is in control and works for the good of all those who love Him.  I need to trust Him and rest in that more.

So here's to less worry and more peace in 2012!